Old Bronze
by D. M. Evans
Summary: An innocent piece of art could lead to the unthinkable, the gates of heaven and hell swung open wide.
1. Chapter 1

OLD BRONZE  
D.M. Evans  
Disclaimer - nope, not mine. All characters belong to Joss except Cyndi and she's not a money maker either.  
Rating - FRT  
Time Line - S2 Set between Reptile Boy and Halloween  
Summary - An innocent piece of art could lead to the unthinkable, the gates of heaven and hell swung open wide.  
feedback - yes please Pairings - Giles/Jenny (with minor B/A)  
Author's notes - Thanks to Maren for the beta. Thanks to Silvrethorn for helping me find the latter named paintings. This was written for the third Choose Your Author Ficathon and I'm not sure yet who I was writing for. Requirements will be at the end

CHAPTER ONE

"Of all the bloody, hare-brained ideas." Giles lifted a delicate china tea cup to his lips. "I'm lucky I can turn these things on and now they want me to submit my diaries for translation to the web. I don't care if it's part of the new Watcher's training." Giles glared at the computer. "How does Willow make this look so easy?"

"Maybe because she doesn't actively hate the poor thing."

At the sound of Jenny's voice, Giles whipped around, cracking his knee on the desk. "Bloody hell."

Jenny's smile lit up the room. "It's a little early in the morning to be so grumpy."

Giles rubbed his knee. "It's too early in the morning to find out I'm expected to contribute to some ruddy website."

Jenny crossed over and leaned in to see what he was doing. "What do you need to do? Need a hand writing the code?" She grinned at Giles' deer in the headlights look. "So, not coding. You know, Rupert, you can ask me for help."

"I'm a reasonably intelligent man. I should be able to figure it out," he said, angry at himself, as she leaned even closer to the screen.

"Wouldn't it be easier to just have directions to do it?" Jenny's painted lips quirked up at the corners. "Oh, that's right, you're a man. Directions are forbidden."

Giles glanced up at her suddenly aware of how close she was to him and how wonderful it felt. He looked away hoping she hadn't noticed his adolescent-styled burst of lust. His eyes snagged on her red sweater. Was it cashmere? The way it clung to her lush body was absolutely intoxicating. God, he was as bad as Xander. He blushed faintly. "Yes, I suppose a little help would be nice. I was going to ask Willow but..."

"But what?"

He couldn't tell this beautiful woman that was he was afraid of getting laughed at by Willow and her friends for his total ineptitude. He was the butt of enough jokes and while he didn't let it show, it occasionally wore on him. "I didn't want to distract her from her studies." Yes, that sounded more appropriate.

Jenny's smile went positively wicked. "You're afraid she'd laugh at you."

His lips pinched. "Don't you have a class to prepare for?"

She put her hands on his shoulders and began to massage. "Not for a half hour."

He just grunted softly, easing into her touch. Jenny leaned over him and kissed him gently.

"I need eye bleach!"

Buffy's horrified voice made the adults spring apart, Giles running his knee into the table again. He swallowed his curse this time.

"Buffy, what are you doing here so early?" He rubbed his knee, which had a decided knot on it.

"Going blind," she replied, sitting on the table kicking her feet. "And I wanted to tell you about the vampire nest I cleared out of a warehouse down by the docks but if I knew there'd be early morning old-people smoochies I'd have waited until my first free period."

Both of them eyed Buffy ill-temperedly.

"Just remember, Buffy, you are taking classes here," Giles said, inclining his head towards Jenny.

Buffy popped a wad of gum into her mouth. "You don't teach, Giles, and I'm not taking a computer class." She blew a bubble.

"This semester," Jenny said pointedly.

"And take the gum out Buffy. No food and drink allowed in here," Giles added.

"Touchy. I'll just come back after your bowl of grumpy-o's wears off." Buffy jumped off the table and breezed out.

"I'm going to be the only Watcher in history who kills his own Slayer," Giles grumbled, watching the library doors swinging on their hinges.

Jenny laughed and kissed him again. "You love her and you know it. I'll be back at lunch. Let's see how many of Buffy's free periods we can ruin." Her dark eyes glinted with glee.

He beamed at the thought. "You're a wicked woman."

She tapped his chin. "That's why you like me."

Giles kissed her again. "Yes, I believe it is."

Giles saw Buffy peering cautiously through the library door's odd little windows. Why his domain had doors better suited for a restaurant, he couldn't fathom. Sadly, Jenny had been delayed, having drawn warden-duty for detention hall. His loss was apparently Buffy's gain. She sauntered in with Willow and Xander in tow.

"Alone at last?" she asked, checking around to be sure.

"Lamentably yes," he replied with an impish grin tugging at the corners of his lips. Buffy eyed him sourly. Jenny was right, this was rather fun. "So was there more you wanted to tell me about the nest, which, truly, Buffy, a job well done."

She beamed. He knew she needed to hear that, knowing she was down on herself for the near fiasco at the college when she and Cordy had nearly been sacrificed. "Naturally. Anything else we need to talk about Giles? Cause we want to breeze this afternoon."

Willow and Xander nodded their agreement.

Giles sighed. "What primal teen-aged festival are you running off to now?"

Buffy pursed her lips. "You can suck the fun out of anything."

His eyebrows raised. "And the event?"

"It's retro night next weekend," Buffy admitted begrudgingly.

"The whole school is kinda jazzed. I mean there're signs everywhere. How'd you miss them?" Xander asked.

"And you have to leave now for an event next weekend because..."

"Outfits, it'll take work for me and Willow to look all retro," Buffy replied as if it should be self-explanatory.

Willow bobbed her head quickly. "Lots of work."

"I don't see why. Seventies fashion is all the rage right now. I've seen you both in no less than three different outfits that are perfectly retro," Giles said.

"Giles, the 80's are retro. The 70's are oldies," Buffy correctly him blithely.

Giles gritted his teeth. "There is nothing at all old about the 70's. And I would really like to work on some of your skills with the sword tonight. Willow and Xander can go, of course, if they'd like. There are no emergencies for us to work on at the moment."

"Oh, you just jinxed it," Xander scolded, wagging a finger.

Giles eyed him sourly. "We can forego believing in jinxes."

"Fatal last words," Xander assured him with a sage nod of his head.

Giles' glare deepened.

"Remember that talk we had about riding me too hard?" Buffy made a face. "Okay that just gave me a creepy image. Anyhow No-Fun-Buffy almost got eaten by a snake. It's a weekend, Giles, shouldn't you be taking Ms. Calender somewhere nice?"

"Buffy's mom has a new local artist showcasing her work tonight at the gallery," Willow added quickly, eager to play match matcher.

Giles knew when he was beaten. "Very well. You may have the weekend though I expect some patrolling to get done."

"Okay," Buffy replied so happily Giles didn't doubt Angel was about to get dragged all over Sunnydale.

At least the vampire was a plus in the war against his own kind. It was one of the reasons Giles tolerated Angel. He was also a vast source of knowledge and he made Buffy happy. It was hard for the father figure in Giles to argue with that. The Watcher tapped the stems of his glasses against his lips as the teens scrambled out before he could change his mind. Art gallery? Jenny might just like that.

"You've got your 'this isn't art face' on," Jenny said, pulling Giles closer to her. "There's more to art than the grand masters."

"Oh, I agree. I don't particularly like this piece but that last one with the Magic Eight ball pieces was quite interesting." Perhaps not quite as interesting as Jenny in her simple black silk sheath dress that reminded him he was a man in all the right ways. "What is this form of art called again?"

"Found art. Basically the artists use recycled bits of pop culture to tell a story," Jenny replied, peering close at the pieced of puzzle that seemed vomited up on the canvas before her. "I'm glad you thought to bring me to the show."

"It was hard to miss it with Buffy's mother organizing it. I took a chance that you like art along with football." He smiled.

Jenny grinned back. "I like art just fine, and apparently so does Buffy."

"I would doubt that," Giles replied then Jenny pointed over his shoulder. He turned to see Buffy moping by a piece of art made up of decapitated Ken and Barbie dolls. She brightened seeing them.

Buffy came over to them. "Aren't you two the picture of cuteness?"

"Buffy, what are you doing here?" Giles sounded a tad nervous even to his own ear. He didn't know why. There was nothing improper about him and Jenny dating. If nothing else, it helped ease worries that someone might think he was spending too much time with Buffy and Willow in an inappropriate manner. "Shouldn't you be patrolling or with Willow finding retro clothing?"

"Angel wanted to see the art." Buffy put on a very grumpy face, nodding toward the back of the gallery. "But I can't have mom seeing me with him. She was kinda put out the first time she met him and I said he was a tutor from the college. She doesn't want me hanging with older guys." She rolled her eyes. "If she only knew. But with you two here, I can at least get into his orbit." Buffy started herding them in Angel's direction, oblivious to the fact she was intruding on their date.

Jenny just smiled good-naturedly at Giles, feeling him tensing. He was glad that she let him know that it was okay, that she didn't mind so much. It was nice to have someone who understood his responsibilities, even if this really was going above and beyond.

Angel was studying a collage of keys set against a blood-splash of red with murky blotches of black that might have been open doorways but there was something suggesting that one didn't want to peer around the corner, let alone go inside. Keys also decorated the wood, heavy hewn frame. The centerpiece one seemed to captivate the vampire. As Giles got nearer, he could see what Angel found so fascinating. There was something unsettlingly beautiful and fearsome about the piece and the centerpiece key seemed to emit a siren's call. Giles shook his head. That was ridiculous. It was a piece of junk the artist had banged into her frame. It wasn't making anyone do anything, only in his world it wasn't that ridiculous. Objects could be bespelled, cursed, blessed.

"Oh, hello, Giles, Jenny," Angel said, sounding almost angry at being disturbed.

Giles barely took note as he stared at the old silverish key. Old was the operative word. He could see the age on the metal. This wasn't some Victorian piece of junk that turned up all the time in second hand stores and places catering to restorers. This seemed older. The head was the typical open, vaguely heart-shaped design that had defined key-shape for centuries but the teeth were odd. Arranged in a crescent, they were strangely shaped, almost filigree-like, like they had been spun by a mad spider. Giles tried to picture the lock it would go with.

Jenny's eyes were dark and round as she drank in the art. Giles could see the covetous look in those beautiful orbs. Only Buffy appeared unaffected by the piece. Buffy was more interested in giving Angel meaningful looks that Giles had no doubt were intended to get the vampire out of the gallery, only he wasn't noticing.

"It's creepy," she announced petulantly.

"It's powerful," Angel contradicted.

"Maybe it just has creature of the night appeal," Buffy replied then put distance between her and Angel.

Giles saw Joyce heading their way with a young woman with long dirty blonde hair and a frightening amount of metal pushed through her face. Buffy hovered closer to Jenny, watching her mother's approach.

"Mrs. Summers," Giles said, "We're enjoying the new show."

Joyce smiled. "Thank you, Mr. Giles. This is Annabel St Cyr, the artist." Joyce waved a hand at her companion.

The girl smiled, making her eyebrow rings flip. Giles wondered if smiling hurt with the rings tucked on either side of her lips. "I'm glad you like it. This piece is my favorite. I call it Keys to Knowledge."

"Keys have long been used to represent knowledge," Giles said, appreciating the analogy. "I think you did a very intriguing job of conveying that sense."

"I like the way it's been framed out," Angel added, gesturing to the key-studded wood.

Annabel favored them both with a broad smile. "Thanks. I just lucked into this box of keys at an estate sale and thought about all the possibilities keys represented, things behind doors, in trunks." Her blue eyes gleamed.

"I especially like this key," Jenny said, voicing what Giles and doubtlessly Angel were feeling as she pointed to the centerpiece.

"I thought that key was just so interesting," Annabel said, "And this one, too." She pointed to a golden V key.

Giles realized in a sudden flash that Annabel didn't have any special sense about how compelling her extraordinary key is. "It is a very fascinating piece. You could study it for hours," he said and Buffy huffed, as if afraid that's exactly what Angel might do.

"It is for sale, though it'll be hard to part with it," Annabel said and Giles actually believed she was of a mixed mind about selling it. She seemed a bit disappointed that neither he, Jenny nor Angel jumped at the opportunity. Giles didn't need to look to know it was out of teacher's or librarian's salary and he wasn't sure Angel had money, which put the vampire's wardrobe into question. Where did he get cash for obviously fine-cut clothing? Giles decided not knowing was better in this case. "Come find me if you'd like to talk more."

Annabel skated away to talk to an exquisitely dressed couple who were eyeing a bright piece made up of broken pottery bits. Giles wondered distractedly if they were Cordelia's parents. They had the clothing and the look.

Joyce moved in Annabel's wake, obviously hoping to broker a deal. She glanced over her shoulder. "I hope you're enjoying yourself Buffy. I'm glad you came."

Buffy smiled brightly. "It's cool. I'm probably going to book though, head to Willow's to talk clothing options for the dance." She elbowed Angel discreetly but forcefully in the kidneys.

"Okay, dear. Maybe we'll go on a shopping trip tomorrow to find you something," Joyce called back then turned to the business at hand.

"Cool, Mom." Buffy whirled on Angel. "Meet me at the corner in five minutes. And you two have fun," she added to Giles and Jenny with a little wave.

Angel gave them a hapless look. "Am I the only one getting the impression that there's something...different about this piece of art?"

Giles shook his head. "No, there is something extraordinary about it."

"But it's not effecting everyone," Jenny said, nodding at Joyce and Annabel. Buffy had obviously not felt what ever it was either. She sucked in her bottom lip on one side, chewing it thoughtfully. "Does this mean we need to go and dive headlong into the research?"

Giles heard the disappointment in Jenny's voice and he was just as eager to have a weekend off to be a normal man as Buffy was, though he doubted his Slayer would believe that. He shook his head. "I don't imagine it's emergent. The display will be ongoing for some time and at this price," he said, peering at the tag as his eyebrows shot up, "I doubt this will be selling quickly."

"I'd better go before I have an accident with a splinter of wood," Angel said, wryly. He smirked at the couple and headed for the door.

Jenny chuckled softly. "I guess we know who wears the pants in that relationship."

Giles scowled. "Now there's a disturbing image."

Jenny just smiled and pulled him along to the next piece of art. Giles still felt the pull of the key. He was sure he'd know exactly where that painting was no matter where he was in the gallery. However, what he hadn't seen was the tiny woman who slid into the space vacated by him, Jenny and Angel and even if he had, the long curtain of dark hair would have hidden the covetous look on her face as she gazed on the artwork.

"That was fun," Jenny said as Giles walked her to her door. "Thanks. Want to come in for a night cap?"

Giles smiled. "Yes, thank you."

Jenny led the way into her small apartment. She waved a hand at the mini-bar. "What would you like? There's beer in the fridge."

"Scotch would be nice," Giles said, feeling suddenly nervous.

"Make it two."

He poured the scotch and joined Jenny on the couch. She snuggled up against him, turning on the tv as she took the scotch. Giles draped an arm around her, pulling her close. "I'm glad you enjoyed the artwork. There's going to be a large show of Mayan artwork coming to Los Angeles later in the year. Would you like to go?"

Jenny gazed up at him. "Would that include an overnight stay?"

Giles realized it was a few hours drive either way and he hadn't taken that into consideration. His face felt aflame. "I didn't mean...it doesn't have to."

"Relax, Rupert. Either way, I'd like to go."

He relaxed. When had he become this nervous with women? He used to be so smooth, so able to flirt and seduce. He felt more like a clumsy teen now than he had when he was a clumsy teen. "I'm glad."

Jenny put her head on his shoulder as she surfed the cable before settling on A& E. She set the controller and her glass of Scotch on the table then reached up caressing his face. Her lips settled on his warmly and Giles was very glad in that instant Buffy had insisted on a weekend off.


	2. Immienent Danger

CHAPTER TWO

Giles was surprised by the knocking on his door relatively early on a Saturday. He peered out the peephole even though he couldn't imagine it would be anyone other than Buffy. The thought made him momentarily sad as he was reminded how isolated he was here. He had no adult friends outside of Jenny.

It was indeed Buffy. His Slayer had come armed with Willow as if her friend were an adequate shield if Jenny had spent the night and Buffy might be forced to face the fact adults occasionally had sex. Unfortunately while he had left Jenny's very late, their relationship hadn't quite progressed to the spending the night phase.

He let the girls in. "Buffy, Willow, what brings you here so early?"

"That piece of art you liked so much last night." Buffy tossed herself carelessly on the couch.

He raised an eyebrow. "The Key of Knowledge?"

"Yeah. Someone trashed the gallery and busted it all up," Buffy said in a tone of pure disgust that probably had more to do with the early hour than her mourning art.

"Her mom is upset, not to mention the artist," Willow added, settling on the couch beside Buffy.

"Just that piece of art was vandalized? Nothing else?" Giles headed into the kitchen, hearing the kettle getting ready to whistle. "Can I get you tea?"

"Yeah sure. Tea seems to make you think good. Maybe it'll help me," Buffy said, still very grumpy.

"There's nothing wrong with your analytic abilities, Buffy," Giles said, pouring the water into the ceramic pot that contained a tea ball.

"You didn't see her last history test," Willow said with a smile.

"Ah, yes, well, please do try not to get grounded Buffy. It makes things difficult."

She wrinkled her nose. "You have no idea. And yes, it was just that one piece of art. Mom said that was the most popular piece of the show. Annabel really hoped to sell it."

"Why would anyone break in and smash just one piece or art?" Willow asked.

"I'll admit it doesn't make much sense," Giles said, carrying in the tea tray. "Was anything missing, Buffy?"

"Kinda hard to tell but Annabel thinks that the fancy key that was on the frame is gone," Buffy replied.

Giles boggled the tray and Buffy jumped up, catching it before it could fall.  
"What is it, Giles? What's so special about that stupid key? It was like you, Jenny and Angel were under its spell," Buffy said, setting the tray on the coffee table.

Giles sank into the chair. "I'm afraid that might be the literal truth, Buffy. Are you sure it's gone?"

Buffy's face went somber as she realized this was bigger than she thought it was. "Well, no, but Annabel seemed to think it was. The piece of art was in like a billion pieces."

"Bloody..." Giles nipped 'hell' off before it could pass his lips. "Jenny, Angel and I did talk about there being something unusually compelling about that key but it didn't appear to affect everyone. You, your mother, and Annabel didn't seem to notice but it would account for the popularity Joyce noticed."

"Objects can be ensorcelled, can't they?" Willow reached for the tea.

Giles intercepted her hands, pouring for everyone. "Yes, they can, not unlike that book Moloch was kept in. I had planned on investigating it a bit today."

"And you didn't tell me this why?" Buffy cocked an eyebrow at him.

"I didn't think it was necessary, Buffy. The key hardly seemed dangerous and you were eager to get started on...patrol," he said wryly. "The key looked so familiar but I can't think of why."

"Maybe you need to think about why," Buffy suggested, dumping sugar into her tea.

"It's probably too much to hope we could get in to see the damage," Giles mused, not sure if it would help but it would at least be a start.

"Sorry, Mom and Annabel have already cleaned it all up and we don't have a security system that has video. Sunnydale's not L.A...and the gallery isn't a convenience store," Buffy said, rolling her eyes at him.

"That would make it too easy," Giles said, tapping a finger against the tea cup.

"So you think this is something we have to worry about?" Willow sipped at her tea. "It's kind of time for a big bad...though I suppose we don't know anything about that key. I mean, it could be just random vandalism."

"The key is the place to start." Giles got up. "I'll call Jenny. She was willing to help with the research." He noted the relieved looks on the girls' faces when he said 'call.' What did they think? That he had her hidden up in his bedroom until he could shoo them away? He should be so lucky. "Buffy, why don't you give Angel a call. He might not be able to join us at this hour but he can at least be thinking about the problem." Giles might not particularly care for the vampire but his knowledge was very useful. He knew it was wise to use every resource he could.

Buffy nodded her agreement.  
"Xander can't help today. He's at the cemetery," Willow offered.

Giles turned to her surprised. "Oh? Has someone in his family passed away? I hadn't heard. Or is he just...well, I can't think of another reason Xander would be in a cemetery without Buffy."

"It's Jesse's birthday." Willow's eyes misted. "Our first one without him. I just...couldn't face going to the cemetery. There's no headstone, of course, since his parents don't know he's dead. They still think he just ran away and will be back. Xander and I decided on a real fancy crypt to stand in for Jesse if we ever wanted to bring flowers and remember. But today...it was just too much."

Giles patted her shoulder gently and Buffy squeezed one of her hands as Willow wiped away a few stray tears with the other.

"I'm sorry," Giles said, meaning it. Young people shouldn't know pain like this.

Willow forced herself to brighten. "Thanks."

After the calls were made, Giles dragged out some books so they could get started. Jenny was quick to join them. This wasn't the weekend Giles had envisioned once Buffy had sold him on the idea of a weekend off. He had dared to make plans for what he'd like to do with Jenny. He should have known better.

"It would help if we had an idea of what we are even looking for." Buffy shoved at a book in disgust. "Didn't you say keys symbolized knowledge? Is that maybe a clue?"

"Keys symbolize knowledge, fidelity and authority," Jenny replied. "Those were common themes in art, especially in mediaeval and early renaissance times."

Giles smiled at her. It was such a good feeling to be in love with a highly intelligent woman. Did he just think love? _i Oh damn, yes you did_ /I .

"Giles!" Buffy said sharply. "You okay? You have a goofy look on your face and you aren't paying attention to me."

He scowled at her. "I'm just fine. I was thinking about what Jenny said about art. Maybe that's where I know that key from but I'm not sure how or where."

"Well, I'll call and add that to Angel's list of things to think about. He likes art but he's probably gone back to sleeping in." Buffy looked jealous of that notion.

"I don't think it's technically sleeping in for a vampire," Willow said. "Wouldn't sleeping in be sleeping past sun down?"

Buffy shrugged and made her call.

"How's Buffy's mom doing with this, Willow?" Jenny asked. "I'm sure she had to be beside herself from the bad publicity."

"She's more mad than anything," Willow replied as Buffy talked on the phone.

"We're just lucky Mrs. Summers wasn't still at the gallery when this happened." Jenny patted her stomach. "I'm feeling a little peckish. I didn't get breakfast. Anyone want an early lunch? My treat. I'm thinking Chinese."

They were just getting started on their hot and sour soup and fried wontons when Angel called Buffy. Giles knew something must have occurred to the vampire as Buffy's kaleidoscope eyes lit up and she got bouncy. "Hang on, Jenny and Giles are here. I'll tell them." Buffy cupped her hand over the receiver. "Angel said he's seen that key in some of..." Buffy made a face at something Angel said. "Harry Mouse Bosch's paintings. Does that make any sense?"

Giles smiled gently. "I think you mean Hieronymus Bosch."

"Does Angel know which paintings," Jenny asked, leaning closer, excited.

"Which ones, Angel?" Buffy waited for the answer, her expression pinching. "He doesn't know. His art books are in storage. You have art books?" Her tone was that of finding out the star quarterback wrote poetry.

"No problem." Jenny set aside her soup and went to set up her lap top. "We can check online. Tell Angel thanks."

Buffy did then moved into the other room to speak more privately with Angel.

"And you can find paintings on that contraption?" Giles pointed to the computer like it was an offensive, ill-mannered child.

"Sure. It's just a simple Yahoo search," Willow replied, enthusiastically.

Jenny looked up at him, a sly smile on her face. "Care to give it a try, Rupert?"

He glared. "I think I'll leave it to the experts."

He did, however, bring Jenny over her orange chicken and fried wontons. Buffy returned and they all crowded around the lap top, munching quietly and peering closely at the screen as Jenny scrolled inch by inch over each piece of Bosch's art.

Buffy scowled at Bosch's oft-crowded paintings, filled with dark disturbing and surreal imagery. "Wow, this guy was on a bad trip or something."

"Scholars have been debating the meaning of the imagery for centuries," Jenny replied. "They believe Bosch to have been a deeply religious man and he feared for the world and its moral decay." She looked over her shoulder. "Pretty much the same spiel religious leaders give us today while they build multi million dollar crystal cathedrals and throw Teletubbies on the bonfire of the vanities...though they might have a point about the Teletubbies."

"Exact same worries played out again and again all those years ago. Somehow that almost makes the fears today a little less scary," Willow said contemplatively. "I mean, those bad things didn't wipe us out back then, chances are they won't now."

Buffy put her hands on Willow's shoulder. "That's my Will, always the optimist...and thinking too many thoughts."

"Some of the images in Bosch's art were the corrupt religious and political figures of the time. That doesn't change either," Giles said, pointing to one of the men in pointy hats on the canvas. "Many of the ills of today have been problems since man first put stylus to clay. Bosch's convoluted pictures was just one man's way of expressing his fears and what he thought both heaven and hell might be like."

"Yeah well, I still think he was smoking something," Buffy said, looking at the riot of imagery.

"Jenny, hold up. Back up the frame a little," Giles said suddenly, leaning in. Excitement lit up his face.

"I don't like this picture. It's creepy," Buffy moaned.

"Most of them are," Willow said with a little shudder.

Giles disregarded the creepy comment as he saw what he was looking for. "Angel was right. Here's the key, hanging from the belt on the man robbing the miser."

"Good catch, Rupert. Willow, write this down for us. The painting is ' _i Death of a Miser_ /I ," Jenny said.

They found the key again in ' _i The Magician_ /I ' before giving up with eyestrain.

"So what does it mean?" Willow lips pursed as her mind tried to work out the puzzle.

"I'm not sure," Giles admitted reluctantly.

"Let's see what we can find out," Jenny said, putting the words 'Bosch,' 'key,' and 'meaning' into a Yahoo search. She scanned the pages that popped up. "Well, according to this the key symbolizes knowledge but we sort of knew that. It doesn't give more details than that."

Buffy wrinkled her nose. "Are they sure? I mean the dude with the key in _i The Magician_ /I doesn't look bright and he's getting pickpocketed. How smart is that? Does it have to mean anything? I've never really bought into all the symbolism in literature class. Did Hemingway really mean this or that? Maybe he just wrote it because it sounded cool. Why couldn't Bosch have just painted it because it looked neat?"

"That's not usually how art works, Buffy," Giles said. "At least not this kind of art."  
Buffy threw her hands up in defeat. "So we found the key, now what?"

"I wish I knew. It'll probably require further study," Giles said and Buffyy's shoulders slumped. "But I can handle that for now. I'll bleep you if I find out anything that would require the Slayer's presence."

Buffy grinned happily at that compromise. "Thanks, Giles. Let's go Willow." The girls bounced out.

Giles looked at Jenny apologetically. "I'm sorry. I'm sure this is not what you had in mind for your Saturday."

Jenny got up, touching his cheek. "I don't know. Do you allow study breaks?"

Giles shot her a momentarily baffled looked.

"You know, study breaks." Her voice went low and throaty. Her lips brushed his.

"Oh yes, plenty of those I'd imagine." He grinned then kissed her back. As her tongue slipped into his mouth, Giles remembered he very much wanted to find out where she did dangle that corkscrew jewelry from.

"Aren't they really the picture of cuteness?" Willow asked over her caramel mocha latte.

Buffy sipped her frappucino thoughtfully. "Ms. Calender and Giles are the cuteness but still the thought of old people smoochies." Buffy shuddered.

"It doesn't bother you with Angel," Willow pointed out.

Buffy stared at the red head like she had lost her mind. "Angel's not old! Well, he is but he isn't." Buffyy's face squinched up. "It's not the same thing."

Willow grinned. "I know. Angel is hot in that dark broody way but Giles has a cute grin and pretty blue eyes. Haven't you ever noticed?"

Buffy nearly dropped her drink in shock. "Oh my god! You have a crush on Giles!"

Willow's face went redder than her hair, realizing what she had revealed. "I do not."

"Yes, you do, Willow Rosenberg!" Buffy teased, almost bouncing over her new bit of tasty knowledge.

"Do not." Willow pouted then changed the subject. "Anyhow what do you think about the missing key?"

Buffy shrugged. "I don't know. Let's say it's magic but what does it do?"  
"That's the exciting part, finding out," Willow said enthusiastically.

"Research does not equal fun," Buffy said, knowing she was in the minority with the crew she was hanging out with today.

"Sure it does. Maybe Bosch was right. It's the key of knowledge. Maybe it doesn't actually open anything. Maybe it's like a key to a cipher," Willow proposed.

"Willow, if we wanted to talk shop we could have stayed at Giles'," Buffy said, irritated that work was creeping into her free time. "It's the weekend, fun time."

"But this is fun, like doing acrostics." Willow polished off her coffee.

"I'm not good with needles," Buffy said, slumping in her chair.

"No, not cross-stitch, acrostics, word games," Willow corrected gently and Buffy's face stitched up in embarrassment.

"Well, whatever. It's our day off. Let Giles worry about it, Willow. You and I haven't even gotten to the retro shops yet to look for our costumes for the dance. I say we forget about the key and just enjoy ourselves."

"Okay." Willow got up and bussed her own empty mug. "I can always work on it tonight while you're out with Angel. My parents are in San Francisco for a lecture so it's just me. Though, I'd better drop in on Xander and make sure he's okay."

Buffy nodded following her. "I'll pop in to see Xander before going to Angel's. I am sorry about Jesse," she said, feeling the guilt of his loss. Maybe if she hadn't been hiding from herself and her destiny Jesse might not have died.

"Thanks. You know, maybe it's a religious key. Bosch liked the religious theme...not that I know what that would be or what it would unlock. Maybe it's a Christian reference I wouldn't know since Bosch was painting Christian themes." Willow's eyes brightened. "Ooo, maybe the arc of the covenant like on Indiana Jones."

"I sure hope not," Buffy said with a laugh as they left the coffee shop. They never noticed they had an audience for most of the conversation.

Cyndi couldn't believe her luck in the coffee shop. She recognized the gallery owner's daughter from the night before but the girl didn't seem to notice Cyndi. That was the advantage of being small and rather ordinary looking; no one remembered you. She took the table next to the blond and her friend on a whim. She never expected them to be talking about the key which was now locked up in Cyndi's home.  
She had stolen it for Richard. It would prove that she loved him, not that she expected him to notice. The Mayor was a busy man and she was just a receptionist at his office. And she had to confess, with his germ fetish she had to wonder how he'd handle it if she ever got physical with him. It didn't matter. Cyndi had been smitten with him ever since she had been hired. He was a sweet and funny guy.

When she had heard him talking with the deputy mayor about the key being in town, Cyndi knew she had to get it for him. Richard and Allan were still trying to figure out the best way to get the key without it coming back on them. Just like men, they over thought things that were so simple. Cyndi had checked out the art work that defiled the Key of Knowledge and saw it would be an easy thing to take it. She couldn't offer to buy it, not at that price, and why it didn't occur to Richard to just purchase it, she didn't know.

But now that she had the key, Cyndi was having trouble giving it up, even for love. It whispered to her. Its power thrummed through her. The only problem was, she didn't know what it opened but it sounded like the red-headed girl did. Cyndi had tried to follow them but there weren't enough customers in the shops to hide, even as ordinary as she was. They would have noticed her. Cyndi decided it didn't matter as she headed home to make a plan. She knew the girl's name. Now to find out where Willow Rosenberg lived and pay her a visit while she was alone. Cyndi had to know what the key was before she blithely turned it over to Richard.


	3. Key of Knowledge

CHAPTER THREE

"I'll be right there, Xander," Willow yelled at the front door as she bounced down the steps. Xander had called her, wanting a little comfort. The first birthday without his best friend was hitting him hard. Willow knew he needed someone to talk to and while he might still like Buffy, he knew he was no competition for Angel. Besides, Buffy hadn't really known Jesse. She couldn't feel Xander's pain like Willow did. However, when she pulled open the door it wasn't Xander standing there. She didn't know the petite dark-haired woman.

"Willow Rosenberg?" she asked, her hand shifting in her pocket.

Willow backed up a step warily. "Yes."

The stranger smiled coldly. "Thought so."

Willow didn't have time to move before the woman's hand came up with a taser in it. The young lady never knew what hit her as her body tensed and jerked, her eyes rolling up. She hit ground hard. She never heard the 'well, that was easy.'

Somewhere in the back of her mind, Buffy knew she should probably feel guilty about spending half of patrol making out with Angel but she didn't. Heck, kissing like any couple out for an evening stroll seemed to make the things that went bump in the night think they were easy prey. They didn't have to go looking for the bad things. Looking oblivious made the bad things find them. Of course some irate Goths making out in the cemetery had yelled nasty things about the cheerleaders of the world trying to take over everything and one gave her the finger.

Her cell phone rang incessantly. After contemplating letting it ring, Buffy took a step back from Angel with an apologetic look. "Hi, hey Xander...what do you mean Willow's not home. She told me she was going to be home alone...no, stay right where you are. That doesn't sound good. Angel and I are on our way." Buffy clicked off and started jogging towards the Rosenberg residence.

"What is it Buffy?" Angel kept pace with her.

"Xander stopped by Willow's. The front door was wide open but no Willow," Buffy shot back and she was grateful Angel didn't offer some silly platitude about how things would be okay. This was Sunnydale after dark. They both knew better.

"This was a great idea," Jenny said, lifting her mug of beer to her lips.

"No one was more surprised to find an 'English' pub in Sunnydale than me," Giles said, a wistful look in his blue eyes. The Bull and Whistle wasn't really all that English but it tried. It had a dart board, albeit an electronic one so no one got punctured and sued. It also had Newcastle Brown ale and Boddington's on tap. Giles had opted for the Newcastle. Giles knew he was probably the only true Englishman in the pub and there were usually ladies around who would talk to him just to hear his accent. He was rather hoping none of them showed up tonight. The fawning might be embarrassing.

"However, I think you're letting me win," Jenny accused tapping his nose. She turned and winged a dart toward the board.

She was using his set of darts with their glittering Union Jack flights. He was playing with the warped tipped bar darts. He had even agreed to play 301, which was infinitely easier than cricket just so Jenny wouldn't feel hopelessly outmatched. "The devil you say. You're doing quite well."

Jenny took a sip of beer. "You're not a very good liar, Rupert. Come on. It's no fun if you let me win."

Giles sighed. "Very well." He looked at the board. He only needed 73 points to go out and win. He tossed and hit the three, just toying with Jenny. Then he pegged the twenty and the bull's eye in two rapid tosses and the game bleeped and blinked in electronic joy. He flashed her a cheeky grin.

Jenny's painted lips pursed, her nose wrinkling. "Go back to letting me win."

Giles laughed. "Sorry."

Jenny put her arms around his neck, pulling him in for a kiss. "Why didn't you ever tell me you had hidden talents?"

"An occasional surprise is a good thing," he replied, luxuriating in her embrace. "Shall we give it another go?"

"I should know better than to say yes to a man who has his own darts," Jenny said, going to retrieve the darts and reset the game.

Just then the sounds of Pink Floyd danced in the air. Giles pulled out his cell phone, looking at it as if he had never seen it before. "Bloody hell, the thing actually works."

"I can't see you with a cell phone. It's so not you," Jenny said, searching her purse for quarters for the game.

"Buffy insisted, in case there was an emergency," Giles replied and Jenny stopped her search. He didn't have to tell her that pretty much only Buffy had this number and that it was bound to be an emergency. He closed off one ear to all the bar noise with a cupped hand as he answered the call. "Hello, Buffy?...what? No, I'll meet you there immediately. Don't go running off yet."

Jenny touched his arm. "What is it, Rupert?"

"Xander and Buffy are at Willow's house. It's empty and the door was open. They think someone's abducted her. I'll take you home and go there straight away."

"Nonsense. I'm going with you," Jenny said and Giles saw the look in her eyes. She felt as protective of Willow as he did Buffy.

Giles just nodded and let her take his hand as they headed for his car.

"Why would anyone take Willow?" Xander paced the Rosenberg's living room. No one took him to task about assuming facts not in evidence. Willow wouldn't just leave the door standing open if she left on her own power.

"My question is why would she open a door to a stranger at night in Sunnydale?" Buffy's anger free floated with no easy target to hit.

"She didn't." Xander sagged onto the couch. "Well, she did. I had just called her and said I was coming over so we could talk about Jesse. She thought it was me at the door," he concluded miserably.

"It might help if we reconstruct the evening, see if we can figure out a time line. It might give us a clue as to who did this or at least where to start," Giles said, feeling a nervous tickle in his stomach. If they didn't figure out who might be behind this and quickly, Willow could be in dire trouble and they had no clues at all.

"Willow and I went shopping all afternoon. We had dinner at five and then I started on patrol to walk off the pizza," Buffy said.

"I joined Buffy after sun fall," Angel jumped in. "We started patrolling near the gallery to see if we could pick up the trail to the key because I didn't like the rumbling I heard in the underground."

"I called Will at six-thirty and told her I'd be here by seven," Xander cut in before Giles could ask about those rumbling. "By the time I got here, she was gone and she didn't answer her cell phone. The door was open just a little and I knew immediately something was wrong."

"But why Willow?" Frustration laced Jenny's tone. "If it was in retaliation for something Buffy has done to the demon world, we'd already have someone claiming credit."

No one added 'not if they were working up a spectacular display.'

"The only thing I'm even investigating is that dumb key. It's been kinda quiet, knock on wood," Buffy protested, rapping her knuckles on the coffee table.

"But who would know that?" Xander asked. "I didn't even know about the key until you got here, Buffy, and told me researching the key was what Willow was going to spend her evening doing."

"Just Giles and Jenny and Angel," Buffy said. "But we know it was none of us."

"Yeah, it was barely dark by the time I got here." Xander shot Angel a heated look, as if the vampire might have decided Willow was an appetizer. "But if you only talked about it at Giles' today, how could anyone know?"

Buffy tugged at a lock of her hair. "Lots of people saw the rapture that key put everyone but me into last night...and Willow and I talked about it at the Espresso Pump today. I mean, it hardly seemed like it was super secret. I guess anyone could have overheard us."

Giles nodded. "Entirely possible, especially if they recognized you from the night before."

"But how would they know I'm the Slayer and I should be followed and spied on?" Buffy asked, pulling on her ponytail nervously.

"They probably don't," Jenny said. "But you were with your mom, last night, Buffy. They might think as her daughter you know something about that piece of art and the key."

Giles turned to Angel. "What have you been hearing about the key, Angel? It obviously disturbed you."

Angel shoved his big hands into his pockets, his claddagh catching a glint of silvery light as his hand moved. "That someone was looking for it ever since they heard it was coming to Sunnydale. No one knows who exactly is searching for the key but it's important to whoever it is. If the rumors are true, the key doesn't open anything physical. Bosch's work, its theme hints at the purpose."

"Religion," Buffy piped up. "That was what Willow was thinking."

Giles felt a bit pale. "You're not suggesting the knowledge this key represents is..."

"The key to the gates of heaven," Angel replied grimly. "Metaphorically speaking. It might not be the pearly gates kind of heaven but the amount of mystical power this key would let someone access is enormous. And if some of the scholars on the subject are right, this key would also open the gates of hell and unlock death."

They all fell silent for a moment considering the enormity of something that could unleash heaven or hell or maybe even stop death. Maybe, they'd get lucky and all it was, was a metaphor but Giles wasn't that hopeful.

"Then Willow is in a whole lot of trouble," Jenny said softly.

Xander popped off the couch. "Then what are we waiting for? We need to save Willow!"

"We don't know where to look," Buffy reminded him. "And I don't understand this, why kidnap Willow? She doesn't have the key and she doesn't know what it does. And why steal the key in the first place? I mean, the artwork was for sale. Why not just buy it and no one would ever know the key was important?"

"That would be the logical thing to do, Buffy, with a few important problems. The piece of artwork may have been more expensive than the person could afford," Giles said, taking off his glasses for a cleaning. "And it's possible the person who took it and the person Angel is referring to are not the same person. If the person who took it is just an intermediary, they might not know the full value of the key."

"And took Willow to explain it to them," Angel said. "If the buyer is too eager for the key, the person who has it might be wondering if it's worth far more than the going price."

"So how does this help us?" Xander kicked his foot impatiently against the doorframe.

"I'm not sure it does," Jenny said, honestly, "But it's a place to start. Maybe Angel could follow up with the demon underground and see if he can shake anything loose."

"I tried to track Willow but lost her scent in the driveway. Whoever it was had a car...and lilac perfume." Angel's brow furrowed.

"A woman?" Giles eyes widened in surprise. "I wasn't expecting that...which is perhaps short sighted of me. Jenny and I could continue to see if we can find out how to use the key which might give us a clue as to who would want it. If this person has Willow, they'll probably take her to whoever wants the key."

"I just can't sit around doing nothing," Xander snapped.

"We won't. Come on, Xand, you and me, we'll go talk to mom and Annabel. They'll be closing up the gallery at this point. We can ask about anyone with a big interest in the art work. They might have a name, hoping to sell it to whoever it is. Mom might buy you and me playing Nancy Drew to help her out and then, if we get a name, we go knock down doors," Buffy said viciously.

"As plans go, that's not bad," Giles said, nodding approvingly. "Let's get to it."

Willow's whole body tingled and burned like ants crawling on a sunburn. When she woke up, she had no idea where she was or why. Her arms were tied behind her around the back of a chair by what felt like scarves. As her vision clear, she saw a tie-dyed scarf wrapped around her ankles, as if her kidnapper was a total amateur and a clueless one at that; except for the taser thing. The dark-haired woman sat at the kitchen table, her eyes going from Willow to the key and back again in lazy drifts.

"It's about time you woke up," she said like it was Willow's fault that she was unconscious.

Willow shook her head to clear it. "Who are you? Why did you bring me here?"

"Never mind who I am or where you are," she said. "I need you to tell me about this."  
She waved the key in front of Willow's face.

Willow tried not to look at it. She knew now what Buffy was talking about, how Giles and the others had been so entranced by the key. Willow could feel its power, could imagine she heard it whispering to her. "It's an old key."

The woman's face darkened. "Don't toy with me. I heard you talking about it. You know exactly what it is and what it does."

Willow's heart thudded harder. She didn't know this woman or what she could do. She could only conclude she was in a lot of trouble. "I don't even know who you are. Why should I tell you anything?"

"Because I'll hurt you if you don't," she replied then sighed. "I'm Cyndi, if it makes you happy. Now, tell me what does this key open?"

"I don't know," Willow said, "And that's the truth."

"You know something. You have to. You wouldn't have been talking about it otherwise," Cyndi snapped, her eyes hardening.

"We were talking about it because it was Buffy's mom's gallery that got robbed," Willow said then her eyes widened. She shouldn't have given up Buffy's name. "We were just talking about the robbery."

Cyndi's face fell, a look of disappointment weighing it down. "It sounded like more to me. I think you know what this key does."

"You mean you don't?" Willow asked. "Why take it if you don't know what it's for?"

"Never you mind what I want with the key." Cyndi caressed it. "I think I'll keep you here a little while longer until you tell me what you know. I know you have to know more than you're telling me."

Willow licked her lips, wiggling her arms. The tie-down gave a little. "I know that it looks like the key in a Bosch painting but that's about it. That's all I know." A shiver coursed through Willow. She really didn't know much more and something told her Cyndi wasn't about to buy that.

Cyndi wagged her head, pursing her lips. She got up leaning on the kitchen counter near the knife block as if saying 'see what I have.' "You keep saying that and each time there's a little more. I think you know plenty more. It looks like you're going to make me dig hard for it."

Willow tried to move her feet up and down. Clumsy at this or not, she didn't think Cyndi would hesitate to hurt her. Before Willow could protest that was all she knew one more time, the phone rang. Cyndi snatched it off the counter.

"Hello, oh Allan. Yes, I have it...hang on." Cyndi shot Willow a hot look as if she were to blame for eavesdropping.

Slipping the key into her pocket, she went into the other room and Willow started thrashing hard against the scarves that tied her down. She bit her lip against the pain of 'rug' burning skin but she got her hands free. With numb fingers, she untied her feet. Thankful her captor, who was now arguing on the phone about the key, was obviously bad at this, Willow went out the kitchen door. She didn't even entertain the idea of trying to overpower the woman for the key. Leave that to Buffy or even the police.

Ignoring the pins and needles in her hands and feet, Willow forced herself to run. She couldn't take the chance that Cyndi would follow her with that taser again. She wasn't quite sure where she was until she got a few blocks. She was far from home, close to the 'bad side' of town. However, there was a refuge near Sunnydale's seedier side; The Bronze. Willow made her way there, reasoning she would be safe in a crowd. Bumming a cell phone from someone, she let herself relax and hoped Buffy would pick up fast.

"Way to go, Willow, not needing a white knight." Xander captured her in a hug. "Are you all right?"

"My wrists are a little sore and I still feel kinda tingly from the taser but I'll be okay," Willow said, holding Xander tight.

"We were trying hard to find you," Buffy assured her as Giles and Jenny threaded their way to Willow's table in the Bronze. They looked very out of place in the young crowd.

"Willow, thank god, you're all right," Giles said, putting a hand on her shoulder.

"We were worried," Jenny added, a warm expression on her face.

Willow smiled at them. "Thanks. Giles, this Cyndi person has the key. She wanted me to tell her what it did but I didn't know." Willow's face sobered. "All I know is that I wanted that key bad. I would have beaten her up for it if I hadn't been tied down."

Giles nodded. "That appears to be the effect on some people."

"I heard her talking to someone. They want the key tonight," Willow said. "I escaped while she was on the phone.

"We can't allow that to happen," Buffy said, shooting a nervous look at Giles. "Willow, can you get us back there?"

Willow bobbed her head. "I think so."

"Then what are we waiting for," Xander said, getting up from the table.

"To ask first how Willow was captured so we might go into this knowing what weapons the enemy has," Giles said, pushing up his glasses.

"She tasered me. It was one of those little purse protector kinds," Willow said, rubbing the spot on her chest where the taser hit her. "She was really clumsy about the whole tying me up and keeping me captive. She's more like a soccer mom than a kidnapper."

"Well, we all know how dangerous soccer moms can be," Buffy said wryly.

"Where's Angel?" Willow asked. "He'd be good back up."

"Can't reach him. He's not very...cell phone proficient," Buffy said with an embarrassed look on her face.

"Those wacky vampires," Xander snorted. "Defeated by Alexander Bell."

Buffy rolled her eyes at him, heading for the door. "We'd better get walking. You know, Giles, if you just bought a grown up car we wouldn't have to jog through town," she added as they got outside.

He just eyed her grimly as Willow looked around to get her bearings.

Jenny leaned close to him. "I like your car, Rupert. It's cosy."

"Oh ewww, that's making with the mental images. Stop it," Buffy ordered.

"It wasn't like she mentioned the back seat, Buffy," Giles said and all three teens picked up their pace amidst a chorus of ewwws, leaving a cushion of space for the adults to be alone in. Giles grinned over at Jenny. She laughed softly.

Willow took point, trying to recall just how she had gotten to the Bronze on her mad run. Giles could see she wasn't quite as certain she could get back to the house as she wanted to pretend. After a few blocks towards the down town area, Willow paused, her arm shooting up. She wiggled it frantically at a purplish-brown Honda Civic. "That's her car!"

"Are you sure?" Buffy asked dubiously. It wasn't a bad guy kind of car.

"Can you mistake that color?" Willow asked. "There she is heading for the Mayor's office."

"Why? No one's there at night," Xander said.

"Makes it a good place to pawn off illegally gotten goods," Buffy reasoned then took off towards the woman.

The Slayer moved faster than anyone else could but they tried their best to keep up. The thunder of sneakers on asphalt was enough to alert Cyndi. She whirled, stumbling back. She yanked a gun out of her purse and everyone skidded to a stop.

"Keep away from me!" Her gun arm waggled with inexperience. "I knew if she got away I'd need more than a taser."

"Well, when you kidnap people and they escape, they do tend to go to the cops," Buffy said, shifting nervously, wishing for Angel. At least he didn't have to worry about taking a bullet.

Cyndi smiled at her, a certain absence of reason in her eyes. "I don't think you called the cops. You want the key as much as I do. As much as...he does." Her gaze flicked at the mayor's office.

When her eyes were off Buffy, the Slayer moved with liquidity and speed. Her foot slammed into the woman's arm and she dropped the gun. Cyndi screamed and lunged at Buffy with the next weapon to hand, the key itself. She surprised Buffy by scoring a hit on her cheek. The Slayer jumped back, raising a hand to her bloody face. She backhanded Cyndi who landed on her butt. The key clattered on the sidewalk.

Cyndi scrambled for the gun but Xander beat her to it, kicking it away. She went after him swinging her fists wildly until Buffy and Willow pulled her off. Giles picked up the key. Cyndi shrieked seeing it in his hand. Losing her prize freed the animal within her. Cyndi's elbow found Buffy's face and she surged forward knocking Willow down. She kicked Xander between the legs as he was picking up the gun. He fell down with a high-pitched wheeze.

Cyndi grabbed up the gun and whipped back around. This time she kept a wise distance between her and Buffy. The Slayer edged closer to Giles while Willow crab-crawled toward the hedges. Jenny was hunkered down behind the purplish-brown Honda, her cell phone in hand. "I want that key back."

Giles didn't even lift his eyes up from the key he held in his hand, as if the woman with the gun was of no consequence. "You can't have it. Do you have any idea what you could do with this?"

"I'm leaving that to people who are better equipped to handle it." Her eyes flicked back to the building again. "I'll be well rewarded." She sighed, thinking of Richard.

"I'm not giving it up," Giles said, stroking the key with one finger. "I could..."

Buffy looked at her Watcher as if she had never seen him before. She had never seen such a covetous look in his eye. A sick feeling told her he wasn't going to let it go. "Giles, the nice lady with the gun wants her rusty old key back."

"She can't have it," Giles snarled, his hand closing over the key.

"Give it to me." Cyndi cocked the gun.

"Never," Giles argued.

"I will shoot you," Cyndi said, sighting down the barrel.

"You're not getting this back. The knowledge this key has...it's not for you," Giles argued.

Cyndi's finger tapped the trigger lightly, meaningfully. "I'll do it."

"Damn it, Giles!" Buffy tore the key away from him. He grunted as the teeth tore his palm. "You want it, lady? Come get in." Buffy twirled the key over her fingers like a baton then caught it between them, snapping it in two.

Giles and Cyndi cried out in dismay as the key crumbled into dust. Buffy felt something move through her, a sense of loss. She knew she had destroyed something important but it just seemed safer that way. The gun dangled from Cyndi's fingers and she didn't even notice the blue and red lights coming their way until the cop was out of the car demanding for her to drop her gun. She did it nervelessly and let them cuff her and put her in the car without a word.

Willow picked the stricken Xander up off the sidewalk while Giles and Jenny explained to the police how Willow had been kidnapped by Cyndi and how she escaped. They made it seem like they had just came to Willow's aid and were taking her to the police station to make a report when they came across the woman again and she held them at gun point. No mention was made of the key and no one noticed the observer in the window inside the mayor's office. In the end, Willow went to the police station to make the report with Giles and Jenny for support while Buffy helped Xander limp home. She couldn't quite get the feeling of sacrifice out of her heart nor the look on Giles face when the key broke out of her mind.

EPILOGUE

"Thank you, Mayor Wilkins, for posting my bail," Cyndi said, wishing she could call him Richard, but they weren't alone and even if they were she would never be so informal. He smiled at her. Oh, she loved that smile. She ignored everyone in the room but him. Allan was easily forgettable and the other two men she didn't know. "I'm sorry that I couldn't get that key to you. I almost...I can't believe they broke it." Cyndi couldn't believe how badly she screwed up. She not only didn't get Richard the key, it was now lost forever.

"Who were they?" Wilkins asked, leaning back in his chair.

She shrugged her shoulders. "The one who broke the key is a Summers, I guess. Her mom owned the gallery. It was her friend who knew everything about the key though."

Wilkins got up, his happy expression never wavering. "It's a pity. That key was important."

Cyndi took his hand. She had to make Richard understand everything she did was for him. "I tried, I really did."

Wilkins eased away from her. "I know you did."

She sighed. "I'm glad you aren't mad at me. I'm glad about the bail, too, or did I say that already?"

Wilkins bobbed his head. "You sure did. And I didn't pay it. It was done by one of my friends here." He waved a hand at the men next to Allan, who was already in motion getting Wilkins a moist towelette. Wilkins scrubbed his hand. "Boys, take Ms Kilchner out. You know what to do with her."

Their eyes glowed yellow as their faces morphed. Wilkins shuddered when Cyndi's screams finally stopped then he looked over at Allan. "It really is a pity that the Key of Knowledge was lost."

"What will you do now, sir?" Allan asked earnestly.

Wilkins shrugged. "Go home and have a nice hot fudge sundae. That always perks me up and helps me think. Without the key, I guess I move on to plan B. It's always good to have back up plans."

Allan gave him his best sycophantic smile without understanding anything. Wilkins just sighed and headed for home.

Jenny curled up with Giles on his couch. "Are you okay?"

"Luckily a smart woman called in the cops so I didn't get shot." Giles smiled at her.

She rested her head on his chest. "You're welcome and that's not what I meant and you know it."

Giles stroked her dark hair, thinking on it. "I know Buffy did the right thing. The key was too powerful in the hands of someone who knew how to use it. I think perhaps Bosch had the key in his possession but was far too afraid to use it. It made its way into his art. Maybe the key had keepers who knew what it was and kept it safe. And somehow people forgot about it, as they're wont to do and eventually it ended up in a piece of artwork." Giles paused as an uneasy feeling overtook him. It was an ugly realization. "I would have given in to the key. I would have tried to use it."

Jenny's dark eyes canted up at him as she nestled in closer. "I guess we're just lucky a lot of people were immune to the effects or else it might be a very different world we live in."

Giles nodded. "I miss it still and I only held it for a few minutes." He lifted his hand, looking at the ragged cut in his palm. "No, Buffy did the right thing. Things like that aren't meant for human hands. It was a real beginning of wisdom for her."

Jenny nodded her agreement. "I don't want to talk about it any more. I'm content with Willow being okay and her kidnapper in jail...for at least as long as it takes for her to bond out."

"Willow will be staying with Buffy for a few nights, just to be sure she's safe," Giles said, his hand moving up and down Jenny's back.

She curved up into his caress like a cat. "Good. No more business talk."

He leaned in to kiss her. "No need for talking at all."

Her lips curled into a smile under his. "That's probably a first for you."

He laughed, wrapping her up in his arms, and he showed her the other things he knew how to do with his mouth.

Author's Note - If you'd like to see Bosch's work head here http/ Requirements - Characters/Pairings: Giles/Jenny  
Other characters: Willow, Buffy  
Wants: Giles warring with a computer, some angst, a key  
Don't want: making light of Giles' sexuality  
Rating: as high as you'd like or the story demands


End file.
